Combining three nights in Moscow, the beating heart of Mother Russia, and three night in elegant St Petersburg, with its great squares and opulent palaces, its parks and network of canals, this hugely enjoyable seven-day holiday includes fascinating guided tours and opportunities to join optional excursions in both cities. With a daytime train journey between the cities, this is a richly contrasting Russian adventure of irresistible attraction, and one from which you'll return immeasurably rewarded.

Tour Highlights And Inclusions

Spend three nights in the heart of MoscowEnjoy a fascinating guided tour of the Russian capitalTake in the Kremlin, onion-domed St Basil's and the famous Bolshoi TheatreSpend three nights in St PetersburgEnjoy a fascinating introductory tour of the exquisite 'Venice of the North'Visit the world-renowned Hermitage MuseumDaytime train journey from Moscow to St PetersburgSix nights' bed and breakfast accommodation in good-quality hotels in Moscow (3 nights) and St Petersburg (3) Return flights from your chosen airport to Moscow, returning from St PetersburgComfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfersFully escorted by a friendly, experienced Tour Manager

Single rooms are available for a supplement

N.B. Visas are required for travel on this tour (see Further Information)

PRICE FROM ?£959per person

PLEASE NOTE: Price is per person and based on two people sharing a twin/double room. Single room supplements and upgrades are not included.

Itinerary

Fly to Moscow, and upon arrival meet your Tour Manager and transfer by coach to your hotel base for the next three nights. Rest and relax after the journey, and enjoy your first evening in the city.

Day Two

This morning's three-hour included guided coach tour will introduce you to this extraordinary place, and serve to orientate you. The tour will include the fabled Kremlin and adjacent Red Square, where multi-coloured, onion-domed St Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's eerie Mausoleum and the former GUM State Department Store, now a glittering shopping mall, look out over the vast space. Other highlights of the tour might include Revolution Square, the newly rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (one of the city's most striking landmarks), the Bolshoi Theatre and the infamous Lubyanka, former KGB headquarters.

This afternoon, an optional guided walking tour will reveal some of the secrets of the Kremlin, as you pass through the turreted walls and enter a truly fascinating enclave of imposing buildings like the Senate House and the Presidium, the vast State Kremlin Palace concert hall, beautiful squares and breathtaking churches and palaces. Sobornaya Square is home to the trio of cathedrals and the magnificent Ivan the Great Belltower, the Kremlin's tallest structure.

This evening you can choose to round off a wonderful day by enjoying dinner in the city.

Day Three

A further day to enjoy the city. Some will head off to explore under their own steam; many, however, will enjoy a full-day optional 'Highlights of Moscow' tour, taking in Victory Park, where the Museum of the Great Patriotic War commemorates the Soviet Union's incalculable sacrifices in World War Two. Enjoy a visit to one of Moscow's landmark Metro stations - vast repositories of priceless art and artefacts - and to the Kremlin's Armoury Palace. Enjoy free time for shopping, and the chance of dinner and a final evening in Moscow.

Day Four

Transfer to Leningrad Station, bid "do svidanya" to your Moscow guide and board the train to St Petersburg, arriving later today. On arrival at St Petersburg's Station, meet your Tour Manager and transfer to your hotel for three nights.

Day Five

After breakfast enjoy a fascinating orientation and introductory tour of the 'Venice of the North', which in fact, but for its canals and innumerable bridges, is more Paris or Madrid, given the grand sweep of its squares and the opulence of its great palaces and civic buildings. Founded by Peter the Great as a westward-looking bastion, and grown under the stewardship of his daughter Elizabeth and legendary empress Catherine the Great, St Petersburg is a match for the finest of all European cities.

Palace Square, towered over by the Alexander Column, is also home to the fabled Winter Palace of the Tsars, a Baroque masterpiece that houses part of the extraordinary Hermitage Museum. The exquisite Admiralty building is crowned by a gilded spire and topped in turn by a weather vane in the shape of a frigate, the city's most enduring symbol. Close by, majestic St Isaac's Cathedral dominates the skyline, while elsewhere, other highlights might include the Mariinsky Palace - home of the Kirov Ballet, the onion-domed Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood, and wondrous Smolny Cathedral. Across the Neva River lies the Peter and Paul Fortress, where the city began, and Peter and Paul Cathedral, burial place of the Romanov Tsars.

This afternoon, however, you'll step inside the gilded portals of the fabled Hermitage museum, to enjoy a guided tour of some of its phenomenal collection.

Please note: The entrance fees to the buildings are not included in the morning. Entrance to the Hermitage museum is included.

Day Six

Join today's optional excursion to the Imperial Palace at Pushkin and stunning gardens at Peterhof, both lovingly reconstructed since World War Two, and reflecting the grandeur of Imperial Court life, under Catherine the Great and the Romanovs. Entrance is included to the palace, and a visit is made to Peterhof's garden.

This evening join the optional evening excursion to the famous folklore show at the historic Nikolaevskiy Palace, to immerse yourself in the traditions of Cossack dancing and folk songs.

Day Seven

A last optional excursion includes entrances to, and a guided tour of, the Peter and Paul Fortress, and a visit to the sumptuous, intimate Yusupov Palace, perhaps the city's finest Imperial residence, scene of the murder of legendary 'monk' Rasputin.

This afternoon, transfer to the airport for the return flight to the UK.

Accommodation

Further Information

Passports and visas

Please note that visas are required for travel on this tour. The visa application process requires you to appear in person at the Russian embassy in either Edinburgh or London. We will send you full application details, including your invitation letter, approximately eight weeks prior to your holiday. Please note that you can not obtain your visa until you have received your invitation letter from us. The cost of the visa is approximately GBP110 per person if obtained directly. The cost is approximately GBP187 per person if using the services of our preferred visa agency - CIBT. Passports must be valid for at least six months after the visa expiration date.

Foreign Office Travel Advice

Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.

Hotel transfer times

The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately one hour.

Combining hotel transfers

We sometimes need to combine transfers to and from your hotel. We always try to keep any wait to a minimum, but you may be asked to wait at the airport for up to an hour, while other incoming flights arrive, before the transfer to your hotel. Similarly, we may need to transfer you back to the airport up to three hours before your flight home departs.

Booking optional excursions

If you'd like to join any of the optional excursions on this tour, please be aware that they are only available in advance and that it will not be possible to book them once you arrive on holiday.

Special requirements

If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.

Disabled access

The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Itinerary changes

Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. This includes reversing the itinerary. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.

Airport development fees

An Airport Development Fee has been introduced at a few UK Airports. You will be required to pay this charge at the following airports prior to checking in for your flight: Blackpool, Durham Tees Valley, Newquay and Norwich. The amount varies from airport to airport, but it is generally between GBP5 and GBP10 per person. Please visit the airport's website for further information.

**The World Cup Offer discount applies to new bookings only made between 14th June and 16th July 2018. This offer applies to selected flight-inclusive holidays only and exclusions include fly-cruises on board Magellan and Columbus and River Cruising by air. Prices shown when booking do not include the discount. The discount will be applied to your booking once the promo code has been entered and will be confirmed before purchase. This offer can not be used in conjunction with any other offer, is subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time.